Human hair becomes soiled due to its contact with the surrounding atmosphere and, to a greater extent, from sebum secreted by the head. The soiling of the hair necessitates it being shampooed with frequent regularity. However, the shampooing process has disadvantages in that the hair is left in a wet, tangled and generally unmanageable state. After shampooing, the hair can also suffer from a loss of luster due to removal of natural oils or other hair moisturizing materials. A variety of approaches have been developed to alleviate the after-shampoo problems ranging from the inclusion of hair conditioning aids in shampoo to post-shampoo application of hair conditioners, which are generally liquid in nature and must be applied in a separate step following the shampooing, left on the hair for a length of time, and rinsed with fresh water.
Hair conditioners have often been separate from the shampoo. However, the desire by the consumer for the convenience of personal hair care products having both cleaning and conditioning functions in the same product has increased. Such products are known as 2-in-1 conditioning shampoos. These contain both cleaning and conditioning surfactants. Such conditioning shampoos clean soiled hair and leave a conditioner in the hair at the same time. Thus, it is unnecessary for the consumer to subsequently use a conditioner after using the shampoo. In addition to cleansing and conditioning, there also exists a need for detangling, exfoliation, and detoxification in order to provide adequate care for hair.
Conventional surfactants are designed to be extremely effective emulsifiers, stripping the skin and scalp bare of its natural oils and emollients. This however, results in irritation, dry skin and inflammation, opening it up to loss of hair, dandruff and itching and flaking. Much interest in natural cleansers has developed in the consumer, and numerous cleansing agents described as natural are being marketed to the public to take advantage of this interest.
Rhassoul or Ghassoul clay is a naturally occurring powder-like substance found in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Rhassoul occurs in the form of a brown rock composed of more than 90% of a mineral called stevensite Li-rich (montmorillonite clay) and also comprises silica, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium, lithium and trace elements. Rhassoul clay is also known as Moroccan lava clay which can be mixed with water and used as a natural cleansing agent for skin and hair care.
Conditioning shampoo compositions and multi-purpose hair care products are disclosed in a number of publications. U.S. Pat. No. 5,939,059 discloses a 2-in-1 hair conditioning shampoo composition. PCT publication WO1992005764 A1 shows an improved shampoo composition comprising hair conditioners, antidandruff agents, anti-lice agents, styling agents and its mixtures. U.S. Patent publication US20060286062 A1 discloses natural shampoo and body wash composition derived from plants and natural clays. PCT publication WO2010137930 A2 shows a hair care product derived from a mixture of Rhassoul clay, natural essential oils and plant extracts.
Moreover, conventional cleansing conditioners and shampoos generally employ chemical agents as surfactants, which results in dryness of hair and excessive removal of natural oil from the scalp, leaving it prone to infections like dandruff. Furthermore, procuring and usage of separate hair care products for cleansing, conditioning, exfoliating and detoxifying proves to be cumbersome and expensive. Further limitations of the prior art conditioning shampoo compositions includes dryness-induced frizz and tangled hair, leading to hair breakage and eventually hair loss.
For instance, it remains desirable to improve overall conditioning, and especially shine and luster, wet and dry combing, and feel of the hair after being treated with shampoo. However merely increasing the level of one or both conditioning ingredients can result in adverse effects such as the hair feeling greasy, as well as loss of fullness and volume. It is desirable to improve conditioning without suffering from these drawbacks.
In spite of all these approaches and attempts to provide optimum combinations of shampoos and hair conditioners, it remains desirable to provide still improved conditioning shampoos made from naturally occurring products for complete hair care including cleansing, conditioning and detangling.